Improvement in railway snow-plows



W. WHEELUCK.

Railway Snow-Flows. No, 140,663, Patentedjuly'8,l873.

Eyl

i l 1 4 r3 lkmsvzz aii WW WW MW,

AM. PHOW-UTHOGRAPHIC co. M)f(nse0mzs PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS WHEELOOK, OF DEGORAH, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO WILLIAM T. BAKER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY SNOW-FLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,663, dated July 8, 1873; application filed May 10, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS WHEELOGK, of Decorah, in the county of Winnesheik and State of Iowa, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in a Snow and Earth Shovel and Plow Combined; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the anneXed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a combined snow or dirt shovel and plow, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 2 a plan view, of my invention.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

My invention is particularly designed for clearing snow or dirt from railroad tracks, and is described as follows: The shovel consists of a bottom, A, slightly wider at the rear than at the front, and flaring sides B B, the front edges of which are inclined, as shown in Fig. 1. The front edges of the sides B B, as well as the front edge of the bottom A, are plated with steel or other suitable metal. This shovel is supported upon a truck, (3, and at the front end by steel shoes D, which fit over the rails of the track. E represents the plow constructed in any suitable manner for the purpose for which it is intended, and provided on each side with a cleat running in a groove formed in the side of the shovel, thereby preventing the plow from being raised up by the snow or other cause, when being pulled or pushed back or forward. To the under side of the plow E is attached a rope, a, which runs forward in a groove in the bottom A of the shovel, around a pulley, b, in the same, and backward under the shovel to the engine.

When running on a clear track, the shovel being attached in front of the engine, the front of the shovel will not touch the track, as it will run on the truck (J; but when pushed into the snow it will be raised almost off the truck, so as to bring the pressure on the chilled shoes I). which will guide the shovel. When it is stopped to back out the rear end will settle down, and thereby raise the front end enough to break off and detach the snow in the shovel from the bank. It will then be backed out until there is room to dispose of the snow. While the engine is backing the rope or chain a will be pulled by means of a ratchet-wheel on the front axle of the engine, and pull the plow forward, and thus push the snow off from the shovel upon the track until the shovel is cleaned by the plow coming to the front. The engine will then be reversed, and, starting forward, will, by means of the plow now in front, push the snow on the track to each side, and when the shovel enters the snowbank again the snow will push back the plow, and the shovel can be filled as before or the plow can be pulled back by a reverse tension on the rope.

The inside of the shovel, as well as the front and each part of the plow that touches the shovel, may be covered by a jet of steam or water, sufficient to form in freezing weather a coating of ice, to enable the plow the better to push the snow from the shovel.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The shovel A B, supported upon the truck 0, and having the chilled shoes D, in combination with the inner sliding plow E, substantially as specified. I

In testimony that I claim'the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: WILLIS WHEELOOK.

G. R. WILLETT, N. WILLETT. 

